Winter ’24 Mid-Season Round-Up, part 2

In Part 1 last week, I covered series that have not been getting episode reviews at Anime News Network. In this installment, I will be offering my take on series that I am following that are getting week-to-week coverage. In most cases, these are the season’s more popular and/or noteworthy productions, so it’s not a coincidence that the average grades here are higher.

The Apothecary Diaries is, of course, not being covered here because I am episode-reviewing it. Some may notice that Gushing Over Magical Girls is not listed here, either. That’s because I have enough to say about that one for it to warrant its own separate review. Like Ishura, it’s another series that I am increasingly regretting not giving the weekly review treatment.

7^th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys A Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy!

Rating: B

The title on this one is partly misleading, as protagonist Rishe’s life as the fiancée of Prince Arnold (the man who directly killed her in one previous iteration of her life and was indirectly responsible for her demise in others) has been anything but carefree. As in other versions of stories where the protagonist is bounced back into a younger self, she uses the knowledge and skills gained in earlier iterations to take a wholly different approach this time, and in so doing she has partly-intentionally, partly-accidentally caught Arnold’s interest. He finds her strength of will and personality to be refreshing and intriguing, to the point that he’s willing to play her game even though he clearly doesn’t need to. There are hints that his frustrations with his circumstances and lack of an emotional anchor are what led him down the warpath in Rishe’s other iterations, and watching how he’s slowly changing is almost as interesting as watching Rishe do her thing. Not a spectacular series overall, but definitely an appreciable view featuring a strong, take-charge heroine.

Brave Bang Bravern

Rating So Far: B+

For the most part this is a fun, silly mecha series which ably captures the exuberant energy of classic giant robot anime (to the point of deliberate self-parody at times) while still allowing enough room for some real-mecha action alongside Bravern’s featured heroics. It certainly doesn’t hurt that Isami and Lewis make for a solid central duo, or that Bravern is a delightful character on his own. Much of what he spouts is cheesy as hell and laced with not-so-subtle innuendo, and he has all sorts of amusing gimmicks that give the humans around him pause, but he can certainly back up his words and does genuinely seem interested in helping out both humanity in general and Isami in particular. The most recent episode (#7) has veered into some very interesting world-building developments by showing that Bravern isn’t the only giant robot who can talk and Lulu (the seeming-alien girl who has become attached to Lewis) isn’t a unique individual after all. And we cannot forget the wonderfully gay closing theme; the series practically demands viewers to ship the two leads even though there are plenty of nice-looking women around. Technical merits are well above average, too. This will never be one of the most popular series of the season, but I’d bet that this one winds up having more long-term staying power than most others.

Chain Soldier

Rating So Far: C+

This is one of the boldest seasons in years for fan service-intensive titles, and this series is a significant contributor to that. It provides a middle ground between the extremes of Gushing Over Magical Girls and the more conventional light nudity of Tales of Wedding Rings, offering decidedly more kink than the latter but not to the almost overwhelming degree of the former. (And kudos to HIDIVE for securing the uncensored version!) The core premise – male protagonist Yuki can turn into a strong monster by becoming the slave of super-powered girls, with a payment that they’re compelled to do a sexy service for him – is twisted in all sorts of ways and becoming increasingly risqué as the series progresses, to the point that other girls beyond lead girl become his temporary master, too – and, most interestingly, he takes on a different appearance, physical capability, and power based on who his master is. (He gains lesser physical capabilities but keener senses and x-ray vision when the clairvoyant girl is his master, for instance.) This is a big help in keeping things interesting, since the overall plot, characterizations and couple of episodes spent on practice duels with another squad have been lackluster. Watchable, but not much to get excited about here outside of the fan service.

Delicious in Dungeon

Rating So Far: B+

I’ve read the source manga on this one, and I am pleased to say that the series has been doing a quite capable job of capturing what made the manga such an enjoyable read. It is mixing adventuresome but also well-grounded cooking with dungeon delving in highly entertaining fashion; you don’t have to be a fan of cooking shows in order to appreciate this one. My personal favorite was how Senshi accidentally made a dessert while fending off some ghosts, but the series so far has taken all kinds of innovative looks on dungeon ecology, including using golems as walking gardens or discovering that there’s actually nothing magical about living armor. It hasn’t been shy about slipping in a good amount of character development, either, with all four of the core cast members being allowed chances to shine and having their own distinct attitudes about the whole “live off the land” venture. The vibrant, inviting use of color also helps give the series an extra visual appeal, too. I’m only limiting this one to a B+ grade simple because there are other series this season that are a distinct notch or two better still.

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End

Rating So Far: A

The current First-Class Mage Examination arc isn’t quite as strong as the first cour of the series – and it definitely bows some to more typical contest/tournament arcs in shonen action series – but this is still one of the best series of the last couple of years for good reason. Its technical merits stand head and shoulders above most other series this season, which really shows in the usually-infrequent action sequences, but this arc still has a whole lot more going for it than that. The trials of the examination allow Frieren to interact more broadly with other characters, throw in a number of genuinely interesting new characters, and give Frieren ample chance to show off both her abilities and her quirks. It also allows for some fascinating exploration into the nature of magic in this setting, especially how much of it is based on imagination; you can’t beat a foe with magic that you cannot imagine yourself beating, for instance. As before, the strongest elements are in the little details, in the way the series smoothly tosses in humor, and of course in any flashback involving Himmel. The new version of original closer “Anytime Anywhere” is also devastating once you realize the story it’s telling between its lyrics and visuals. Only one other series this season even comes close to standing on this same qualitative level.

Metallic Rouge

Rating So Far: B

Yeah, don’t ask me to explain the plot on this one because I don’t get it, either. That’s the biggest negative in what is otherwise a very Blade Runner-esque take on artificial humanity, one which looks increasingly deeply at what Neans are, how they fit into society, and how much of their identities they can establish for themselves. Rouge’s raison d’etre has also increasingly come into play as her origins are getting explored. And oh, yeah, alien invaders are present, too – or at least some of their war machines are, anyway. Fortunately, the series has likable lead characters (especially Rouge) and a fair amount of good action scenes to carry the weight. Overall, the series feels like it’s underperforming, but it’s still a pretty good sci fi romp.

Shangri-La Frontier

Rating So Far: B+

The first half of the series carried itself on raw verve and spectacular action sequences, and not too much has changed going into the second half. The build-up to the epic battle against unique monster Wethermon the Tombguard, the execution of said battle, and the fall-out from it have take up the entire season so far, but as shonen action-style epic battles go, this one mostly delivers. Having an actual, heartfelt story behind the circumstances helps, and all three of the core trio get to show off flashy (and sometimes ridiculous) new tricks. The aftermath is nearly as interesting, though, as one character seeks to reset and the defeat of Wethermon at this stage has advanced the setting’s overall story in an unexpected way. The behind-the-scenes frets of the game developers was one of the great running jokes of BOFURI, so I am eager to see how much this twist affects the story going forward. Its new OP pales compared to the original one, but overall, the series is still one of the best game-playthrough series out there.

Solo Leveling

Rating So Far: B-

This is, by any measure, the most popular new series of the season, and in its last 3-4 episodes (or at least the ones that weren’t a recap), it’s finally started to show where its real appeal lays. Forget the weak attempt at a framing story, or the cheesy mechanics which make this a game-like structure for him but no one else; this one sells itself entirely on its action chops. Not all of its feature action sequences have been visual spectacles (the most recent one, where Jinwoo eliminates the party that was going to use him as a sacrificial lamb, uses a lot of typical anime action cuts), but the snake battle in particular was on a level with Shangri-La Frontier‘s best and the far darker, bloodier flare gives the series a very edgelord vibe. Hence, I don’t feel I can justify rating this series any lower even though I want to.

The Witch and the Beast

Rating So Far: B

After a standalone opening episode, this series has been operating in two-episode arcs, and not always with features duo Ashaf and Guideau at the center; one arc focused instead on a necromancer and her helper who dealt with very similar cases to what Ashaf and Guideau do. That offers some nice variety and a greater expansion of the setting and its mythos, though it comes as the expense of less screen time for the very likable central duo. Despite some occasional light-hearted moments, this one mostly dwells in the realm of dark, dangerous, and sometimes gruesome ambiance, making it one of the season’s most atmospheric titles. It looks pretty good, too. Taking a week off when it was already one of the season’s latest starters leaves it behind all of the others in terms of content to evaluate it on, but this more mature-leaning series is a definite keeper.

The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic

Rating So Far: B

This one has been one of the surprise success stories of the season, a title that has turned out to be quite a bit more appreciable, and quite a bit less generic, than its premise suggested. It’s not like the series is doing anything dramatic different plot-wise, either; this is, at heart, a fairly typical story about a tag-along on an isekai summoning who turns out to be the real power among those forcibly recruited. However, a combination of fun twists, ridiculous antics, and, yes, some unconventional applications of healing magic (though not in the mean-spirited fashion of Redo of Healer) have compensated for so-so action and visual merits, and the series has a surprising amount of sincerity and depth beneath its surface. It will never be mistaken for a top-tier title but is still a blast to watch.

Villainess Level 99

Rating So Far: B

Speaking of series that are a blast to watch, that title also firmly applies to this mostly light-hearted take on the otome game villainess genre. Yumiella’s deadpan delivery is a delight to watch, but what truly keeps the series interesting are the ways that the overall story is continuing as she tries to stay out of it, but yet is also adjusting to the actions she’s taken. The way she’s also endlessly oblivious to the genuine efforts of one of her classmates to get closer to her romantically is also fun, and I have respect Patrick for sticking to his guns despite having all sorts of reasons to be driven away by Yumiella’s OP nature and personality quirks. (I’m rooting for you, Patrick!) Essentially, Yumiella is the kind of presence who’s a terror to have on your side but would be far worse to have against you, and the local king and queen earn points for recognizing that and quickly making sure Yumiella is welcomed rather than chased out. I look forward to seeing where this one goes next.

That’s it for this edition. One of the next two weeks I’ll have a feature piece on Gushing Over Magical Girls.